LEADERSHIP
Mister
FIXIT
What makes Mister Minit multi-unit franchisee Steve Whittard a standout business owner?
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his year Steve was named the Mister Minit Franchisee of the Year, earning him the praise of CEO Mark Rusbatch.
“This award is a signal to the Mister Minit Network on what an outstanding franchisee looks like. They are someone who sets the standard and will be sought after for business and management advice,” Mark says. The Franchisee of the Year is nominated through rigorous criteria, including overall contribution to the brand and business, adding value to others and the system, being proactively involved in the community, providing exceptional customer service as measured through internal programs, leadership development, and delivering outstanding trading results which are measured by customer growth and sales growth. Steve puts his success down to his team and the people he works with. “Ultimately it’s about people. It’s a service business. Recruit the right people and invest back in the business. Hire for the culture of the business. Even if the applicants are fully qualified, if they aren’t a good fit, don’t hire them,” he says. “Apart from working closely on a daily basis, our team shares a lot of leisure time together outside of work, so we all need to get along.” Today Steve employs 18 people and owns seven stores on the Gold Coast and a mobile service. He started out as a franchisee with four outlets. But he was no stranger to the business, thanks to a 33-year career with the service network. Steve’s first job at the company was learning how to do shoe repairs and the basics of the business. He then held a number of supervisory and management roles before becoming the company’s first franchise manager. In this position he set up the fundamentals of the Mister Minit franchise system, and then transitioned into a national property management role, working on the leasing and construction of new stores. Throughout this broad experience at Mister Minit he was impressed with how the franchisees embrace the business. “I noticed how happy they were,” says Steve. “I’d meet them at award nights and they were such a
NOV/JAN 2021-2022 | 28 | WWW.FRANCHISEBUSINESS.COM.AU
